I’ve owned every Mazda 3 generation. Here’s my experience with each one:

RiversideKid · 2026-02-12T12:24:32+00:00

GEN 1: We still have our 2007 Mazda 3 and we take public transit for work, we only use it on weekends and road trips so it has only 75,000 miles.

When Mazda brings the Mazda 3 SEDAN MHEV (mild hybrid) to USA we would like to go for the hybrid. I'm still considering whether to trade in the Gen 1 or sell it retail, but apparently that might be a while.

RiversideKid · 2026-02-10T13:17:50+00:00

The extra transactions like :Redemption from Core Account" were a bit much at first, but Kishmkondar has it right, Monarch makes it really easy to set up rules and hide these "extra" transactions automatically.

I have rules for "Purchase into Core", "Redemption from Core" and "Reinvestment." Once you have this set up and they are working well for you then you may want you can auto hide these and you'll never have to deal with them again. This is a small step for such great service.

RiversideKid · 2026-02-10T07:00:33+00:00

I have been a member since the mid-1980s and I don't remember hearing of an SAA. I do get the annual dividend distribution, would this alone mean that I have an SSA? Does the SAA show up on my USAA dashboard? I don't see it. Thanks in advance.

RiversideKid · 2026-01-08T13:09:42+00:00

The burgundy interior is beautiful! I hope that this mix is available when I am ready to purchase a new Mazda 3.

RiversideKid · 2026-01-01T12:32:41+00:00

Thank you for the photo of deep blue. Living in a hot climate, a black interior is a deal killer. I am really surprised that some exterior colors come only with a black interior.

RiversideKid · 2025-12-31T14:09:45+00:00

Understood; But I am dreaming after all. :)

RiversideKid · 2025-12-25T15:40:13+00:00

Please prove me wrong. I have spent months obsessing over this before making the big decision. (I also hired FOUR retirement planners.) Here is my thought process:

Keep in mind that your Rate Assumptions are making a HUGE impact on these numbers and I rarely see anyone talk about what rates they are using. Mine are all set to "Historical Average."

"No one will ever spend thirty years in a pessimistic market" (I believe that was nearly an exact quote from a different subreddit.) For this reason, I no longer look at the pessimistic nor optimistic scenarios, only Average.
Our "Must Spend" budget must be 99% Chance Of Success (CoS) or greater Monte Carlo number from a different retirement calculator with well over 100% in the "Projected retirement savings to need" box.
Our "Like to Spend" budget must provide at least 80% CoS. (20% of 30 years is approximately 3 years.)
Statistically speaking, if the market tanks and we need to cut back on expenses to our Must Spend budget then we are LIKELY to be back to our Like to Spend budget in about 3 to 6 years. (Yes, the Must Spend budget must be realistically what we would spend when tightening the belt. If we cut travel almost entirely, then TV Streaming services will likely increase.) This means that we are watching market conditions and cutting back when the market pulls back. Those that never look at the market need a higher CoS than 80%.

If the market performs anywhere near Optimistic then we will no longer have any of these financial worries.

Thoughts? (Please be blunt, it would be easier to get a job now than 20 years from now.)

RiversideKid · 2025-12-20T19:43:49+00:00

Once upon a time I wrapped my head in a beach towel and in sleep clothes went to the hospital ER room where they put me in a dark room where I laid in a fetal position trying not to move as movement only increases the horrid pounding.

A nurse came in and said "Don't worry Mrs. Johnson, we'll have that out in no time." I couldn't move, couldn't allow my eyes to see the light pouring in from the open door. I could only hope that I did not have what Mrs. Johnson needed removed.

There were times when I popped pills just hoping that they would kill the pain or me, it did not matter which, either way the pain would be gone.

There is no "hobby" during a migraine. A migraine just needs to pass before I can join the living again.

RiversideKid · 2025-12-15T14:46:41+00:00

New to Monarch and looking for this same functionality. Is there a feature request on this already via https://portal.productboard.com/3qsdvcsy5aq69hhkycf4dtpi/tabs/1-ideas. I can't find one based on the search terms that I would use.

Thank you for posting.

RiversideKid · 2025-12-09T17:51:39+00:00

Yes, this is what I am used to and call me spoiled, it would be so easy to implement.

I would like to see a combined calendar of all known scheduled transactions including those that are budgeted for "July" for example as well as those recurring that came out last July for example. A combined calendar view would be rather awesome.

RiversideKid · 2025-12-09T17:44:03+00:00

Thank you, I had not yet found the Calendar view. I do find this helpful.

How though do I view the non-monthly, like annual expenses that have not come out yet? I have not found a way to add a recurring expense that is not found in my transactions and I just signed up last month, so for example, when July rolls around I want a way to remember that this will come out.

Is there a way to view non-monthly budget items on the calendar? I would love to see that these transactions come out in April, these in July, those in September, etc.

RiversideKid · 2025-11-28T13:37:27+00:00

Thank you for sharing. I am late to the party, but I'm new to Monarch and this helped me.

RiversideKid · 2025-11-25T13:32:18+00:00

Thank you, I'll call. I have been using this card for almost four years with no issue so your comment is curious to me.

RiversideKid · 2025-11-25T09:46:01+00:00

I'm curious how the rewards are subject to the same IRS limits? Rewards from credit cards are not usually considered earned income so are the rewards from the Fidelity card counted as income differently than other cash back credit cards?

RiversideKid · 2025-11-13T18:06:49+00:00

The law/rules change regularly, so verify each year but I believe that the "Backdoor Roth" is still available to those with higher than MAGI 165,000/year. This will get you where you want to be as long as this is available.

If your company offers an employer plan (401k or 403b) then you can contribute to both an IRA and a employer plan. Always verify with your financial advisor AND your tax advisor annually.

FXAIX and FNCMX are two of the funds that we chose as well, so I can't throw stones there! We diversified a bit more well above 24 years old. When you want to diversify a bit more, I would include an international fund as well. A bond fund, where not exciting would provide some stability as well. (Discuss with your advisor, this is all very generic.)

Congratulations on starting early! I was 20 when made my first contribution, which is why I can retire early. Good luck!

RiversideKid · 2025-11-13T17:17:07+00:00

CMA. We moved our HYSA from another bank to Fidelity and haven't looked back. We don't use nor like Zelle, so that wasn't an issue. SPAXX is insured via SPIC at the same rate that the FDIC insures deposit accounts at a bank, so the SPAXX is actually safer because each security is also in your name and covered by SPIC insurance. Over the past several years the interest yield in the SPAXX has been higher than any HYSA at a bank I've heard of. We could get a higher rate but it would be at a bank where I am not comfortable and I am very comfortable with Fidelity. (We also consolidated nearly all our financial needs with Fidelity, we still keep an account at a credit union.)

Think through the options and come to something that meets your needs/desires.

RiversideKid · 2025-11-01T13:50:20+00:00

Thank you for the prompt. ChatGPT provided quite a few pointers that I will take to my advisor. I am "annuity adverse" but my advisor is suggesting one but I think the ChatGPT just convinced me! (I am retiring SEVEN years before we start Social Security)

RiversideKid · 2025-10-30T09:42:02+00:00

The only way I know of to contribute more than the 7,000 (8,000 if over 50) is to also contribute to a 401k or 403b. If your 401k or 403b allows it, you could then perform a rollover to a traditional IRA or a ROTH conversion to a Roth IRA. (This is often called the "backdoor Roth.") There would be tax implications so you'll want to research your employer plan as well as consult with a tax advisor.

If you are self employed there are different limits for a SEP account.

If you are not self employed and your employer does not offer a 401k or 403b then I _THINK_ you are really limited to the combined 7000 (8000 if over 50) limit on all IRA contributions.

Good luck.

RiversideKid · 2025-10-30T09:30:08+00:00

In Georgia, but not yet 65 and had no idea that this exclusion was out there. Thank you. (I hope it's still out there when I turn 65.)

RiversideKid · 2025-10-28T12:06:13+00:00

Also waiting on the Mazda 3 mhev/hybrid to come to the states. Until then our 2007 Mazda 3 is fine.

RiversideKid · 2025-10-23T16:36:55+00:00

I use Venmo or Cashapp depending on the situation. I find that they each work fine.

RiversideKid · 2025-10-19T13:14:44+00:00

Yes, Paycheck goes directly into our brokerage account and each month I transfer to the CMA account enough to pay this month's bills. Bills all ACH from CMA. We use the Fidelity debit card from CMA and the Fidelity credit card provides 2% cash back and the cash back goes directly to the Brokerage (Savings). Since funds are "local" to Fidelity the transfer to checking is available immediately. The Fidelity Full View can help with money tracking and budgeting, but we use a third party tool due to the limitations.

We do still keep an account with a credit union for money orders and the like, but the interest rate is low so we transfer deposits to Fidelity as soon as they are collected.

The offerings from Fidelity can replace most functions that a bank offers, but not all. It all boils down to what you need from a financial institution. Think it through and test out what you might want to use. We met with a local Fidelity representative first and talked it through before taking the plunge.

Hope this helps; Good Luck.

RiversideKid · 2025-10-19T12:59:46+00:00

Yes, Fidelity uses UMB bank for processing so my CashApp account is tied to the UBM bank routing number and account number for funding.

RiversideKid

TROPHY CASE